Compare Prescription Drug Prices and Save Hundreds

I like to pick up my prescription drugs at Fred Meyer, my local supermarket, because it’s closer to home and I can pick them up while I’m shopping for groceries. The problem was that Costco’s Pharmacy offered better prices than Fred Meyer on some prescription drugs. I asked the pharmacist at Fred Meyer if they would match the Costco price and they said they would. The last time I did this the Costco price was $37 lower than the Fred Meyer price on a particular prescription. The pharmacist at Fred Meyer matched the price and I saved a bundle. I’ve done this on a number of occasions and it has helped me save several hundred dollars on prescription drugs.

If my local supermarket pharmacy will match prices than maybe some of the other chains like Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid will as well. It might pay to put together a list of phone numbers for local pharmacies and call them up to see if they will match the prescription price of their competitors. If you have several prescriptions you are typically going to only have those go through one pharmacy. Through price matching you can make sure you’re getting the best price for each individual prescription.

Editor’s Notes:

1. Costco often has the best prices on prescription drugs. What many people don’t know is that you do not need a membership to Costco to buy prescription drugs from their pharmacy. When you go to Costco and you’re met by the greeter at the entrance just let them know you’re not a member but want to use the pharmacy and they will waive you in. Here’s a great account of how a reader of the Bargain Babe blog saved a bunch of money on one of her prescriptions. Costco prescriptions pay off

2. There can be a HUGE differential in the prices local pharmacies charge for the same prescription drugs. Recently the Attorney General of Michigan did a price comparison for Tamiflu among pharmacies in the state and discovered prices ranging from $28 to $605. Michigan Attorney General Prescription Drug Prices

How do you save money on prescription drugs? Please share your thoughts in the comments blow.